UltraColor® Full Color Heat Transfer Comparison

Print full color t-shirt graphics with UltraColor® digital screen printed transfers. With just a heat press, you can apply these full color heat transfers onto just about any apparel.

You don’t have to turn down an apparel decorating job because the artwork is too complicated to cut or weed, or because it’s too many colors.

Try using UltraColor!

UltraColor has many benefits:

  • full color images
  • not priced by the number of colors
  • sold by the sheet for ganging images
  • larger sheet sizes

The large full size transfer sheet allows you to fit a whole lot on the sheet. And because it’s not priced by the number of colors, you can put so many different jobs on the same sheet, no matter what the colors are.

[Related Content: UltraColor Soft Image Pricing]

There are three transfer types to choose from in the UltraColor product line:

  • first there’s UltraColor Soft
  • then there is UltraColor Stretch
  • and lastly, UltraColor Stretch with Blocker

Each of the UltraColor transfer types has a time and place when you would want to choose one over the other.

We’re going to compare each of the UltraColor transfers so you know how to choose the best full color heat press transfer for your next full color apparel printing job.

 

 

All of the UltraColor transfers are similar, but they are made a little differently so that they can apply to different fabrics.

These are not full color heat transfer vinyl. The CAD-PRINTZ® line of transfers are print and cut vinyl heat transfers.

UltraColor transfers, on the other hand, are digital screen printed transfers.

Your full color design is digitally printed (in CMYK) onto the transfer sheet, which then gets a screen print backing.

 

 

UltraColor Soft Full Color Transfers

UltraColor Soft is the first transfer type in the UltraColor family.

It applies to cotton, polyester, and cotton/poly blends.

You would want to use UltraColor Soft when you want to apply full color graphics to your everyday t-shirts, hoodies, or performance wear made of 100% polyester.

 

UltraColor Soft full color transfers

 

It has a nice matte finish with no tackiness or shine.

You can get very detailed with the artwork – .01” for printed line thickness and basically no limit for non-printing, show through areas.

Unlike the CAD-PRINTZ® digital transfers, you don’t need a white outline around your image. Instead, there is a much thinner, clear outline.

For UltraColor Soft, there is only a 6 sheet minimum when ordering by the full sheet.

 

UltraColor Stretch Full Color Transfers

The next full color heat transfer in the UltraColor product line is called UltraColor Stretch.

UltraColor Stretch is exactly like the name says – it’s for stretchy apparel like spandex, Lycra, and woven nylons.

 

UltraColor Stretch full color transfers

 

It will apply to cotton, polyester, and cotton/poly blends as well, but you would mainly switch from UltraColor Soft to UltraColor Stretch for the spandex, Lycra, and nylon.

The printing uses the same method. It is digitally printed onto the carrier, and then backed with screen printing. However, UltraColor Stretch uses a water-based ink for the backing, which allows for the application to stretchy spandex, etc.

In terms of artwork specifications, it does need a little bit thicker printing areas for the artwork. Printed line thickness requires a .05” area. Show through areas that are not printed still has no limits. That can be as small as you need.

The look and feel of the UltraColor Stretch is very similar to UltraColor Soft. In fact, you probably wouldn’t even notice the difference after it is heat applied to your apparel.

The minimum quantity for UltraColor Stretch is 6 sheets.

Pricing for UltraColor Stretch is a little bit higher than UltraColor Soft.

 

UltraColor Stretch with Blocker Full Color Transfers

The final transfer type in the UltraColor family is UltraColor Stretch with Blocker.

Just like UltraColor Stretch, this product’s name describes its purpose – it has a blocker layer added to prevent dye-migration.

UltraColor Stretch will apply to all of the other materials that UltraColor Stretch applies to, (cotton, polyester, cotton/poly blends, spandex, Lycra, woven nylons), but also adds the additional fabric of sublimated materials.

 

UltraColor Stretch with Blocker full color heat transfers

 

This is why you would want to switch from the other UltraColor transfers to UltraColor Stretch with Blocker. If you have a sublimated garment, use UltraColor Stretch with Blocker so that the dye of the fabric does not bleed into your heat applied image.

During heat transfer application, the dyes used to make the sublimated apparel can be re-activated by the heat from your heat press. If you don’t use the correct transfer type, the dyes will creep into your image area, turning your nice image a tint of your apparel.

For example, with no dye blocker, your white text will become pink on your red sublimated jersey.

The dye block layer in UltraColor Stretch with Blocker will prevent that from happening.

UltraColor Stretch with Blocker is also certified for commercial laundering for work uniforms.

Everything else about this third UltraColor option is the same as UltraColor Stretch. But because of the added blocker layer, the price does jump a little higher than UltraColor Stretch.

The minimum order quantities are the same as UltraColor Stretch: 6 sheet minimum for full size gang sheets.

 

UltraColor – What to Use When Chart

Use this quick and easy chart to reference when to use each UltraColor transfer.

 

UltraColor Chart

 

 

 

 

 

 

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archieshane

Nice Post!

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